Grievous Fault
by Melinda Sandy Halliwell
Summary: "The noble Brutus  Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:  If it were so, it was a grievous fault,  And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it."


Even she took breaks from time to time, though she tried to present a façade otherwise. Her term paper for Psychology was going well, but she'd already put three hours into it that afternoon and decided she was done.

She glanced at the clock. Three-thirty, no one would be available to hang out just now. Shrugging at the timing, she logged onto the computer and began aimlessly surfing.

Having toyed around with writing fan fiction in the past, she found herself at a site for just that. What surprised her was finding that there was an entire South Park fandom and just how large and active it was. "Who would write about home? That's weird."

Of course, even Wendy Testaburger could not resist temptation, so she clicked on it.

The first thing she noticed was just how "Style" there was, and after the briefest scan she realized what that was. She could not help but giggle. "But you guys had no clue how popular you are…or how when I said the world knew you belonged together, I, apparently, was not exaggerating." She smirked, "I'm definitely going to have to show this to Bebe; it'll totally sparkle with her."

Grinning, she clicked on one of the "Style" stories to read.

It was amusing. Knowing everyone in it, there were differences, but there were also things that made her laugh because they were accurate. There was also some laughter at how wrong some things were. "Oh, come on, Craig is not that bad!" She shook her head at that.

And then she reached her own name. She had to admit, she was curious as to how she was depicted. Unfortunately, as she read, the smile faded and her jaw dropped open. Blinking through tears, she simply stared at the screen. "I…I would…never…I…"

She was portrayed as a total and complete bitch, someone who not only kept Stan and Kyle from being together by being with Stan, but an active homophobe who spread rumors and tried to make Kyle's life miserable.

After a moment, she managed to pull herself together and go back to the list. Maybe just one person saw her that way.

Clicking another story, she found much the same, though she was less demonized in this particular story. It was hard to actually be relieved about being portrayed as only a selfish, jealous girlfriend, but it was better than being a psychotic bigot.

She shook her head and closed that story. "I know I did some things as a kid, but…" She sighed, all of them had done stupid stuff as a kid. Either the people who wrote these stories were unaware that none of her class from South Park were angels, or they just didn't care. Kyle was her friend. She'd stood up for him when few others did. She supported his relationship with Stan.

The idea that she was a homophobe disturbed her almost as much. These people clearly did not know her. She had teamed up with Eric Cartman when he found himself on the right side of a social justice issue, arguing against bigotry! She had resisted trends that were about objectifying girls-though she did eventually give in. Sure, she'd had some shallow moments, moments she was definitely proud of. She still carried the scars from one decision she seriously regretted, but those moments did not define her, at least not apart from the others. She sighed, "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones…"

Scrolling through the stories, she found one that caught her attention. Warily, she opened it. Scanning it, she came to the "Author's note," and once again tears filled her eyes. Apparently, there were some people who did come to her defense. While she could not imagine how it was there was an entire fandom primarily about her class, it was good to see that whoever these people were, not all of them hated or condemned her.

Taking heart from that, she decided to read more stories. Though, for the time being, she avoided ones where the characters listed were Stan and Kyle. She loved the boys, thought of them as brothers, but she could not handle any more of being the sacrificial lamb so that they could be together.

She was amused to see who she was paired with. Most commonly, with Cartman. While the "fatso" from her childhood had matured and become an actually decent guy, she really could not imagine the two of them together. Nor could she understood how so many people apparently did! "As long as Butters doesn't see this…" Wendy was afraid that the more sensitive member of that trio would not be happy with the idea that one of his boyfriends would rather be with a girl.

There were a few other pairings: some that amused her and some that just confused her. And apparently, not all of the fandom thought Stan was better off with Kyle, which, considering the first couple she'd read, made her smile.

"Hey, Hun! What you doing?"

Wendy looked up to see Bebe getting back to their apartment after Cheer practice. "Oh, I was just messing around on the net."

"Find anything interesting?" The blond moved to sit on Wendy's lap and look at the screen, not worried about squishing her or invasion. Wendy, used to this, did not protest.

"Um…kinda?"

Frowning at what was on the screen, Bebe turned in Wendy's lap with a sigh, "I had hoped you'd never find that. Too much of it is definitely not Sunshine."

"Wait? You already knew about this?" Wendy raised an eyebrow as Bebe nodded.

"Yeah. Um, most of us do." She grimaced slightly. "We kinda all decided to keep it from you and just hope you didn't happen upon it." Bebe shrugged, "You know, whatever people say, we all love you."

She shook her head, but could not really object to having been protected in this situation. "It wasn't all bad. And I'm not the only one who gets beat up on here."

Wraggling an eyebrow, Bebe smirked, "So…what do you think of one of the proposed pairings?"

With a giggle, Wendy wrapped her arms around the other girl, "Well, I kinda liked the relationship I was in, but if you want me to hook up with Craig…"

"Does. Not. Sparkle!"

"Mmm. Then why don't you make me forget about everything I've just read, huh?"

**AN:**

So, let me start by saying I'm in no way anti-Style or even anti-Gay. (As an out and proud lesbian, that'd be a bit of a disconnect, if I were.) My head canon, as a brief look at my other stories, definitely includes Style. I think they're a great couple, and were I to rank my pairings, they'd be number 2!

What I'm trying to address here, someone else has today as well, is the demonizing of Wendy. Yes, I know that in Tom's Rhinoplasty, she arranged the killing of Ms. Ellen. And that was horrible, but all of the kids in SP have done some pretty horrible things at different times-except for Butters. And yes, I know that in Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society, she's horribly superficial and vain.

But in the List, she, even though not currently dating Stan, responds to his request to defend Kyle, even going up against her own Super Best Friend Forever when a gun is being held on her! Yes, she does kiss Cartman, but only because of tension that builds when they're both on the same side to fight AGAINST BIGOTRY! When the girls are too harsh to "Marjorine" and cause her to lock herself in the bathroom at the sleepover, it's Wendy, with Bebe, who realizes they've crossed the line and reaches out to Marjorine. Even if you hate Wendy, canonically, this is a girl who stands up for anyone who is being judged or finds themselves on the outside of society. She would /not/ be a homophobe!

And she's not a controlling Bitch. In the Smurfs episode, she ignores Cartman's attacks on her far longer than anyone else does; not the act of someone who is an explosive bitch. And when she does respond, let's be honest, that's PURE genius!

So, please, if you want Wendy not with Stan so Kyle can be. I get that. Hell, I want Stan not with Wendy so Bebe can be! But do it without demonizing her. It's really not that difficult!


End file.
